Four-Star Combo Guard Commits to Stanford

Stanford basketball has just received a new commitment, and this time, it's a local kid. Elias Obenyah has officially committed to the Cardinal. He is the third recruit of the 2026 class, along with Isaiah Rogers and Aziz Olajuwon, and the third four-star prospect, per 247 Sports.

Obenyah is ranked as the 134th best player in the class of ‘26, is the 22nd best combo guard in the country, and the 16th best player in the state of California. Stanford now has two players in the class of ‘26 from California, and both are top 16 players in the state.

Obenyah is the 39th best recruit in Stanford basketball history, going along with Rogers and Olajuwon, who are 29th and 10th. The three combine for what is currently the third best recruiting class in America.

Obenyah has attended three years of high school, going to Salesian in Richmond, CA. Over his time on varsity, the Pride has gone 26-9, 31-2, and 27-4. In their 31-2 season, they won the Norcal Open Division championship, and made an appearance in the California State Championship.

The guard has been quite the key piece to the Salesian program all three years, and will bring his winning experience to the Cardinal. Obenyah took his official visit to Stanford just a week prior to his commitment. He still has a visit to UC San Diego next week, but it is unclear whether he will attend due to his commitment to Stanford.

Along with Stanford and UC San Diego, Obenyah had tons of other offers. He has 21, mainly dominated by WCC, Mountain West, Big West, and WAC schools. The most notable programs are Stanford, Cal, Saint Mary’s, Montana, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UNLV. But after a tough decision, he decided that Stanford was his best opportunity.

This is a huge commitment for the Cardinal. Getting a player that can provide great depth and eventual star power at the guard position is huge. His chemistry with current Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie should be fantastic as well.

Finally, getting a hold on recruiting, especially dominating the state of California as well as Northern California specifically, is a massive jump for the Cardinal as coach Kyle Smith continues to build up the men's basketball program.

As preseason hype builds, Stanford fans are very excited for the 2025-26 season. The Cardinal have added some nice pieces ahead of the campaign, but it's currently unclear how they'll be replacing the production of their big three from last year in Maxime Raynaud, Oziyah Sellers, and Jaylen Blakes.

If it doesn't all come together this coming year, there will be plenty of excitement and optimism heading into the 2026 campaign.